Hi guys, my first post in the new forum (trust me, I even didn't know what happed to the old one. Only notice the tech section was gone).

I am wondering how good your metal brake lines look? Or put it another way, what should I expect on a 96 with 164k, spending its entire life in Michigan. Mine look rusted in some locations and I am afraid I should take action soon. What are my options? From what I understand, it'* not an easy job to replace all of them, correct? Thanks.

Brake lines can look horrible and still function. The question none of us can answer is when will they actually fail.

As for repairing, you must repair them with the proper lines and fitting types at junctions. You should not use compression fittings because they could be could become a safety hazard.

i say use em till they fail and then replace. as bill said they can look horrible and function perfectly. fixing things that arn't broke is silly...

Well, most of the time I would agree but I am not sure this one. Isn't that a big safety concern? I certainly don't want to have major trouble because of a piece of rusted brake line. OK, put it this way. Let'* go back to the original question. How do your brake lines look, especially those around 96 model years, with quite some miles and going through harsh winters? How big a chance will my car suddonly lose brake because of rusted line? If the rust on my car is typical and the risk is low, I might consider leave them alone. Thanks.

rust on a car your age is reasonable to expect.
if you feel safer replacing them go for it.
personally what i think most likely will happen is you will get a small leak and if you pop the hood once a month which you should be doing anyways with a car that age you'll notice if it'* down.
if it makes you feel better replace em.

also this thread sucks without pics.

I live in New brunswick canada. Just about every day, I will get a car in the shop for brake lines because they rusted out. Most of the time, the lines just blow out, and then the customer realizes all of his/her lines are rusty (or some) and need to be replaced.

I see what you're saying about lines looking rusty and still holding up well, and that is true if its just surface rust. However, if there are little chunks of rust on the lines that look like they will break off, i'd replace the lines.

IN N.B, we have saftey inspections once a year, and we fail brake lines if we question their saftiness on the roads, especially with the nasty winters and the amount of salt on the roads. All it takes is a panic brake, a line bursting, for an accident to happen, especially with inexperienced drivers. Its all about using your judgement to determine the condition of the lines.

However, having the car undercoated, including a thorough coating of the lines, and those brake lines will last a long time.